Atlanta Open 2022: Tommy Paul vs Ilya Ivashka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Tommy Paul vs Ilya Ivashka
Date: July 29, 2022
Tournament: Atlanta Open 2022
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Atlanta, United States
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $708,530
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports
Tommy Paul vs Ilya Ivashka preview
Fifth seed Tommy Paul will take on World No. 53 Ilya Ivashka in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Atlanta Open on Friday.
Following a first-round win over compatriot Jack Sock, Paul was up against Kwon Soon-woo in the second round. The American started off strong as he went up a break to lead 2-0 in the opening set. His opponent fought back to level the score immediately.
Paul secured another break of serve in the sixth game. This time, he didn't give up his lead and clinched the set soon after that. The 25-year old jumped to an early lead in the second set to go 2-0 up. Kwon was unable to claw his way back into the match after the break of serve.
Paul broke his opponent's serve for the final time to win the match 6-3, 6-3 and reach the quarterfinals in Atlanta for the second time in his career.
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: @tennistv | @ATPTour | #AtlantaOpenLet's go, Tommy Paul!
@TommyPaul1 moves on after a 6-3, 6-3 win over Kwon 🇰🇷.
🎥: @tennistv | @ATPTour | #AtlantaOpen https://t.co/nxSejEAE9h
After a three-set win over Quentin Halys in the first round, Ilya Ivashka was up against top seed Reilly Opelka. However, the American withdrew due to an injury and was replaced by lucky loser Steve Johnson in the draw.
Ivashka held a couple of break points in the seventh game of the first set, but was unable to convert either of them. With the Belarusian serving to stay in the set at 5-4, he lost serve to lose the opener. He raised his level in the second set as he built up a commanding 5-1 lead in no time.
Johnson failed to recover from this huge deficit as Ivashka won the second set to take the match to a decider. An early break of serve handed the Belarusian a 2-0 lead in the third set. This advantage kept him ahead until the end as he won the match 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Tommy Paul vs Ilya Ivashka head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the duo, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Tommy Paul vs Ilya Ivashka odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Tommy Paul vs Ilya Ivashka prediction
While Paul has won his matches quite comfortably in Atlanta, Ivashka has been pushed to three sets every time. Based on their form, the American is expected to come through this clash.
Paul served quite well in the previous round against Kwon. He also dominated during the return games, winning close to 50% of points on his opponent's serve. The American's forehand was also firing, helping him come out on top in many baseline exchanges as well.
Ivashka served quite well too in the second round, but his return of serve needs some improvement. He'll need to keep his error count in check, which often kept him on the backfoot in the previous rounds.
Paul has enjoyed a much better season than Ivashka so far. The former has won a total of 16 matches on hardcourt so far, while the latter has just five wins on the surface this year. The American will also enjoy the full backing of the home crowd in Atlanta as well.
Paul has improved tremendously this year and while Ivashka can prove to be a challenging opponent, he's likely to get past him in the end.
Pick: Tommy Paul to win in straight sets.